Household storage containers—especially for the storage of food— are widely known and have enjoyed extensive usage for a significant period of time. Typically such containers may be formed from a suitable resilient plastics material. However, in more recent times containers of this general type are also being manufactured from alternative mouldable materials such as for example glass. In that regard, therefore, it should be understood that whilst throughout the ensuing specification reference will be made to particular and preferred embodiments of sealable containers in accordance with the invention made principally if not exclusively of a suitable plastics material, the invention is under no circumstances to be considered to be limited to containers of such material. Indeed containers in accordance with the present invention could equally be constructed principally from glass.
Containers of this general type may be employed, in the household or domestic environment, for purposes of storage of a variety of different products, and more especially foodstuffs of the perishable type. Such containers can also be employed to house or contain such perishable foodstuffs for purposes of cooking or heating thereof, more particularly in a microwave oven. In that regard it should be understood that containers of a plastics material are, generally speaking at least, not considered suitable for use in a conventional oven or the like heating means. That said, these days plastics materials do exist that are heat-resistant to a significant degree, such as to allow containers of this general type to be made therefrom which can be utilised in a conventional-type oven. As such, the containers the subject of the present invention, are not to be considered to be constructed solely from glass.
Containers of this type generally consist of at least two principal components, namely a container base, and a lid or top which matches with and is compatible with the container base, whereby to allow for sealing of the overall container combination and protection from deterioration of any content thereof. In an alternative embodiment the container will include a base, a co-operating lid and a further separate sealing means.
In an especially preferred embodiment the invention relates to an improved food storage container of the type including a base, a co-operating lid and a further separate sealing means to be associated therewith, to provide sealing of the lid to the base of the overall container. Containers of this general type, by reason of the improved sealing effect attributable thereto and exhibited thereby, are, desired to be suitable for use regardless of temperature, whether freezing/cool or elevated/high temperatures. However, care needs to be exercised to ensure that such containers are not subjected to any temperature sufficiently elevated to give rise to deterioration and/or loss of structured integrity, as for example by melting or softening.
Prior art containers of this general type have been found, in practice, to suffer from a number of practical disadvantages. By way of example only, in the domestic situation (or for that matter in any context of use) there have been found to exist problems in terms of being able to readily “marry up” a container base (of any given or desired size and shape) with the correct compatible container lid (of the same size and shape). This has been found to be especially the case when container bases and lids of this general type are stored in kitchen drawers or the like. In any normal domestic situation the householder will have available for use and will have acquired any number of such container bases and associated lids, of various shapes and sizes. These would conventionally be stored in one kitchen drawer or the equivalent, but in some situations where space is available the container bases might be stored in one drawer, with the container lids being stored in a separate drawer. No matter how stored, however, the householder can be expected to always encounter problems/difficulties/frustrations in choosing the desired sized and shaped container base to suit particular use requirements and then locating the compatible lid. In that regard it should be understood that conventional practice is not to store containers of this general type with the base and lid connected, since such has been found to sometimes give rise to an undesirable odour, as well as the possibility of unwanted condensation within the closed overall container, giving rise to the need for cleaning thereof before use.
Problems have also been found to exist, insofar as the manufacturers and marketers of such containers are concerned, in terms of displaying such products for sale. In that regard it should be understood that prospective purchasers need to be able to see/identify the size and shape of the container base and matching lid, and to choose the product to suit that person's particular needs or usages. Since the overall size for such a container can vary markedly dependent upon its intended use, then in terms of display for sale purposes each manufacturer needs to have on display numerous differently sized and shaped containers—making up its range of available products. The normal practice when displaying products of this type for sale is to display them within a given area, referred to in the commercial field as “real estate”. For display purposes such real estate is costly. The usual practice is for the marketer, whether a department store, supermarket, mega store or the like, to allow each manufacturer or “brand” a certain space in terms of real estate. It becomes imperative for the manufacturer, therefore, especially when such manufacturer is unable to secure from the commercial outlet more real estate, to maximise the usage of the available area provided for purposes of display of its various products.
A further practical disadvantage associated with storage of containers of this general type with base and lid joined together or attached is that such a combination requires more space for storage and precludes altogether the possibility of or potential for stacking, whether of a plurality of lids and/or a plurality of containers. Whether in the domestic or commercial environment it is extremely desirable to maximise usage of available storage space. Any arrangement which allows for more containers to be stored, for display or whatever, in a given space is desirable.
In real terms the same situation applies in the domestic situation or environment. Storing matching lids and container bases together, in their in-use condition, means fewer can be located in a given space, as for example a storage drawer, cupboard or the like. Furthermore, if so stored there again exists the problem of unwanted condensation within the sealed container.
As in the domestic situation, in the marketplace it is again not the general practice to display containers of this type with the container base and container lid interconnected or in the in-use condition. Indeed such display would, if anything, minimise usage of the available real estate. An aim, therefore, has been to manufacture and market containers of this type which are stackable. However more often than not, or conventionally, container bases currently available do not stack tightly, therefore again not allowing for maximization of usage of available real estate.
For purposes of display or sale, therefore, prior art containers of this general type need to be displayed with the container base (of each size and shape) in close proximity to the matching or compatible lid. It would be preferred, however, if one could readily match up a lid with its associated container base, no matter how they be disposed spatially one relative to the other.
Containers of this general type in one especially preferred embodiment typically include a base which is adapted, in use, to retain or have located therein a quantity of food or any material for storage, a lid which in use co-operates with the base whereby to close or seal the overall container, and a separate further sealing means which, in use, co-operates with both the base and the lid.
It must be understood that the degree or effectiveness of sealing provided between the base and the lid of such a container is of great significance. A stronger seal, for example, can be expected to minimise, if not prevent altogether, the possibility of contamination and/or deterioration of the contents of the container, and hence increase the storage life of such contents. Further an appropriate seal, together with a resilient lid and associated base, will also function to expel a quantity of air from the container base during the procedure of sealing of the overall container, creating a reduced pressure within the container itself, thereby even further improving the overall efficiency of operation/sealing. Indeed the existence of such a reduced pressure within the container can also result in a significantly improved storage life for the contents thereof. The more airtight is a container base and lid combination, then the longer the possible storage life for contents thereof.
Prior art arrangements have generally utilised interlocking ribs and grooves to afford sealing or a sealing effect. Such arrangements have been found, in practice, to be sometimes difficult to open and/or close. In an attempt to overcome such a problem, containers have been utilised wherein the lid is retained in place relative to the associated base merely due to the reduced pressure existing within the overall container, once the lid is in place. With such a prior art container a one-way valve or the equivalent in the lid allows air to escape when manual pressure is applied to deform the lid—made of a suitably resilient material—inwardly. This creates or gives rise to a reduced pressure (when compared with atmosphere or ambient pressure) within the container, serving to retain the lid in position relative to the base, at least to an extent.
However, arrangements such as those referred to above have been found, in practice, to not maintain for any significant period of time any reduced pressure initially achieved within a sealed container. As a consequence, with such prior art containers the improved sealing effect evidenced by the existence of a reduced pressure within the container can be lost over a relatively short period of time, with the pressure within the container with time substantially becoming equalised with that existing externally of the container. The result is that, with such arrangements, the lid may simply be disposed over the base of the container without there being any true and proper seal therebetween. Such seriously reduces the storage life of any food contents of such a container.
Another reason for containers of this general type conventionally not being stored with bases and lids connected is that, if they were to be so stored, usage of available space will not be maximized. If a base has its lid located thereon, for example, that would rule out the possibility of stacking a number of bases together. Such is an important consideration regardless of whether storage is for retail purposes or in the domestic situation. In both cases storage space is valuable and needs to be utilized to its fullest.
The present invention seeks to overcome the problems and disadvantages associated with the prior art by providing a container, a combination of base and lid, both of which include or have associated therewith means which allow for ready identification/association of the appropriate matching base and lid. In an especially preferred embodiment such will be in the form of a colour-coded band, of any given colour, to be associated with each of the container base and the compatible container lid. Preferably the colour-coded band will be co-moulded with its associated base and lid.
The present invention also seeks to provide an improved container wherein multiple container bases of the same size and shape are adapted to stack tightly together, whereby to allow for the maximum number of similar sized and shaped containers to be displayed within a given area, whether that area be in the domestic storage situation or in real estate available to the manufacturer in a retail outlet. Different sized and different shaped container bases and associated compatible lids will have differently coloured bands. If one therefore wants to match or “marry up” a lid with its compatible container base, one merely has to identify a lid and/or a container base with the same coloured band thereon. Such is a significant improvement over the known art, regardless of context of use, whether for display purposes and/or in use.
The present invention further seeks to overcome the problems and disadvantages associated with the prior art by providing a storage container which exhibits a strong seal and associated sealing effect and further allows for maintenance of a reduced pressure within a closed sealed container. The arrangement in accordance with the present invention also acts to in effect mechanically retain the lid in position regardless of temperature. The arrangement in accordance with the present invention further allows for ready application and removal of a sealing lid.
It is an object of the invention to provide a sealable container, whether constructed wholly or in part from a plastics material or of any other suitable material, as for example glass, which functions to maintain a reduced pressure within the overall container, whereby to provide an enhanced sealing effect and improved storage life for the contents of any such container.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a container, a combination of base, lid, and separate sealing means, which includes or has associated therewith means which allow for ready identification/association of the appropriate matching base, lid and sealing means.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a sealable container which is suitable for use in any form of known heating means, including a micro-wave oven.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide, in one preferred embodiment, a container base and a lid therefor which lend themselves to stacking, thereby maximizing usage of available storage space.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, therefore, there is provided a container assembly including: a container base, and a container lid which is adapted, in use, to co-operate with said container base in a sealing relationship, said container base and container lid being of a substantially complementary shape and configuration, said container base including a shaped peripheral rim, said container lid having a peripheral rim of a substantially complementary shape to the rim of said container base, said container lid being adapted in use to overlay or be disposed over said container base in said sealing relationship, and wherein both said container base and said container lid include a peripheral band, of a colour different to the colour of the container base and container lid respectively.
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention there is provided a storage container including: a base member including a bottom wall and at least one sidewall extending substantially upwardly therefrom and terminating in a peripheral rim; a lid adapted to be associated with and co-operate with said base member and to extend thereacross in a covering relationship; and sealing means adapted, in use, to be interposed between and co-operate with both said at least one sidewall of said base member and said lid, whereby to provide improved sealing for said container, wherein said sealing means is of a colour which is different to the colour of the container base member and lid respectively, and wherein said base member further includes, on the at least one sidewall thereof, an area formed integrally therewith, or associated therewith, which is of the same colour as said sealing means.
It should be understood that, in real terms, a storage container in accordance with the invention includes the following as principal components, namely:
(i) a base member which is adapted, in use, to afford space for receiving and storing any given products, as for example foodstuffs or the like;
(ii) a lid which, in use, overlays the base member; and preferably
(iii) a seal which co-operates with the base member and lid to provide an enhanced sealing effect.
The base member may be constructed from either glass or a suitable plastics material and, if of a plastics material, will remain substantially rigid. The lid may be constructed/formed from a suitable plastics material or glass and, like the base member, is intended to remain in a substantially rigid condition in use. The seal, however, will preferably be constructed from a less rigid elastomeric material, as for example silicone or silicone rubber.